Pictured: Renee Fleming and Alex Jennings in The Light in the Piazza. Photo by Dewynters London.

Producers John Berry CBE and Anthony Lilley OBE for Scenario Two and Karl Sydow have announced Alex Jennings (Netflix’s The Crown) and Solea Pfeiffer (Almost Famous, Hamilton) will join four-time Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Renée Fleming in the limited Chicago presentation of The Light in the Piazza. Full casting will be announced at a later date.

Playing ten performances only, December 14-29, at Lyric Opera House, The Light in the Piazza tells the story of Clara (Pfeiffer) and her mother Margaret (Flemming), who embark on a fateful trip to Florence in the summer of 1953. A gust of wind whisks Clara’s hat into the hands of local dreamer Fabrizio Naccarelli and it’s love at first sight—but Clara isn’t quite what she appears. Soon her mother is faced with a heart-wrenching decision, and they must all confront a secret that’s been kept in the shadows for far too long.

The Chicago engagement follows the production’s run at the Royal Festival Hall in London this summer.

Based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer, The Light in the Piazza book is by Craig Lucas, with music and lyrics by Adam Guettel. Scenario Two’s production is directed by Daniel Evans and designed by Robert Jones, with costumes by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, movement by Lucy Hind, lighting by Mark Henderson and sound by Kai Harada. The score will be played by the Lyric Opera Orchestra under the baton of Kimberly Grigsby, conductor of the original Lincoln Center production.

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